Day Five

By Nick

They say the sun shines on the righteous. Well, we must have been standing next to them, all day... again. I've had to invest in a sun-block stick... IN APRIL!

Still can't access Juli's photos on her memory card when put into my phone like I could the first three days, but tomorrow, we end up back at Juli's mother's, where Juli's laptop awaits and with it, hopefully, the solution. The only pictures I can post from our B&B here in Marlow, are the few I tweeted today: more of the lovely Georg und Barbara doing more of the same things as yesterday, i.e. eating and drinking, plus one of today's finishing line, Marlow Bridge.


That's a pity, because she has some lovely pictures of Henley, a great view across the Thames Valley when the path moved away from the river again, lots of picturesque houses, bridges and locks, and the most unexpected sight in the beer garden of the Flowerpot Hotel in Aston of an enormous turkey. Well, it looked enormous to me, but then again, I've never seen one with its feathers still on. It's an unusual pet, so I'm guessing it was a cancelled Christmas order.

At the end of today, having dropped our bags off at the B&B, we had a last meal out with G&B. Then, after their taxi driver dropped us back at our B&B, we had to say goodbye to them all over again. They've got a couple more days of sightseeing in the UK before returning to Germany, including, on our recommendation, Oxford and Hampton Court, so they'll be seeing lots more of the Thames before they leave.

Meanwhile, tomorrow we have a long walk to Windsor, where, we've just learned, we're being met by someone else we first met on our round the world adventure, Johnny from the truck-based section of our trip. He's promised to have cold drinks waiting for us at the bridge. I hope he's still carrying his head torch with him wherever he goes: the speed we ended up walking today, it could be a late finish.

TTFN - N

Day Four

By Nick

I could get used to all this amazing weather we're continuing to enjoy. We've been telling Georg und Barbara that, contrary to what they may have heard, this is typical British weather, but I'm not sure they believe us.

The only photos I can share in this post are the three I've already tweeted of Juli and our German friends eating and or drinking. For some reason, my phone is refusing to see the photos on Juli's camera card today. Not that those three photos don't give a fair representation of the day. Quite the contrary: we've had a very jolly day catching up and generally enjoying each others company. We've also been enjoying some excellent food and drink, something else we've been telling G&B is typically British, with little more success in convincing them. So here then are those three pictures again: special reunion 'elevenses' by the Thame, kafe und kuchen at Tesco and lunch at the Bull in Sonning.


Good company and good conversation certainly helps to take ones mind of ones aches and pains, and the miles sped by today. Well, if not actually sped then certainly floated.

The Baskerville, named for the famous family who kept big dogs and had a house nearby, is lovely and has the additional merit of actually being on the route of the Thames Path, so we didn't have to walk any extra distance today to reach our overnight accommodation. We've just enjoyed another excellent evening of fine food and conversation with G&B, sharing memories of of cruising together and photos of our respective homes, which I hope we'll both have the chance to see for ourselves before too long.

Tomorrow we continue with G&B before saying goodbye to them when we reach Marlow at the end of day 5 and they return back here for another two nights. Hopefully I'll have triumphed over the technology and there'll be more photos in tomorrow's post, but for the time being...

TTFN - N

Day Three

By Nick

Quite a different day today. Not weatherwise: it's been another glorious, bright blue-sky day, and we both have red bits. What was different though was the ground. Between Wallingford and Moulsford it was much wetter under foot than yesterday or the day before despite the continued good weather. Worse, however, was the section between Goring and Pangbourne. Not wet, but steeply sloping, up and down, as the path moved away from the river and up a hill.


Some thing's I omitted from previous posts: 1) We have been followed by a kite (or kites) most of the way. When there's no kite, there are butterflies. We've come to think of them as guardian sentinels. 2) All along the river are pillboxes left over from the last war. Dozens of them. Here are just three from today.


Whitchurch Bridge: Closed to vehicular traffic since January. Likely to remain so until the Autumn. Local residents, such as our landlady, are not happy.


It's been a hard day today. We both have major aches and pains tonight. Tomorrow should be a lot easier - only 10 miles as opposed to today's 16, and the next day is hardly any further. Joining us for these two days are Georg und Barbara, the German couple we met on our cruise. They did the same three month trip as us between Sydney and Southampton. It will be great to see them again and have them with us as we move on via Shiplake tomorrow, to Marlow the next evening.

TTFN - N

Day Two

Another day done, and another day of fair weather too.

We started today's walk from the farmhouse, across their land to the Thames, which marks their boundary, without backtracking to Culham Lock. Don't worry though, we've not cheated on the distance, as our route last night from the lock to the farmhouse ran parallel to the Thames, and our route down to the river this morning was perpendicular to it, so it all works out fine. Honest.

More lovely villages and countryside today, some photos of which I've already tweeted. One of my tweets was of a small narrowboat at the edge of a field, some metres above the current level of the Thames. I joked about it being a victim of the recent flooding hereabouts. In fact, when we got closer, we found the following note, which shows that it was exactly for that reason that the boat came to be where we found it.


One of the lovely villages was Shillingford. The following three photos come from there. The first is of a corner of Shillingford Court showing the height of previous floods. One, from 1809, above head-height. The other two are of a 50 yard-long wisteria growing in front of appropriately named Wisteria Cottage and an adjacent barn.


Just before we reached our day-two journey's end, Wallingford, we had to follow a temporary diversion away from the Thames, owing to the footbridge across the wear at Benson Lock being closed. This was due to scheduled maintenance overrunning because of the floods.


Finally, we reached Wallingford, which is yet another photogenic Oxfordshire market town, with plenty of original charm. Well worth a visit.


Tomorrow, we walk on to Tilehurst, about another 13 miles downstream. The bad news is my aching feet have precipitated a visit to Boots for first-aid supplies. Bad times. The good news is tomorrow is Sunday, which means Juli can eat cake and I can drink beer. Good times.

TTFN - N

Day One

By Nick

So this is it: the real thing. I'm not intending to write much in these day-by-day posts as we walk, partly because I don't have the time and not least because, after a day of walking, I can't be arsed. (Especially when the sodding technology lets me down and I have to write it twice, like now. }:[ "Grrr!")

The day started exactly to plan: the alarm went off at the right time (06:00 hrs - I know: ghastly); we got the train from Staines to Reading we were aiming for; the train from Reading to Oxford was on time; and we found our way to the Thames really easily.

Those of you who know my style from previous blogs, might, not unreasonable, be expecting a "However," at this point, but not a bit of it. We had a beautiful day - definitely T-shirt weather for the most part - we saw some truly lovely countryside and the footpath was almost entirely dry. Even the parts that were a little bit muddy were easily avoided.

I'd like to be able to add that we reached our destination entirely free from any aches and pains, but that wouldn't be wholly accurate. My feet are a bit sore and Juli's hips are giving her a little bit of jip, but we know from our two-day training walk that they'll be as right as rain in the morning.

We are now resting with a cup of tea in our very comfortable farmhouse B&B in order to regenerate sufficient energy to walk back out in search of supper. Our room has a selection of local menus in it, including one for Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, which is just a ten minute taxi ride away. Unfortunately we've not packed appropriate attire. So, for us, it's the undoubtedly excellent, though possibly not quite as excellent, Railway Inn. Who wants all that fancy French frippery anyway?

Tomorrow, we walk back to the Thames and then for a further 12 or so miles to Wallingford. If we have half as good a day as we've had today, I'll be more than satisfied.

TTFN - N

 

 

Technical Problems

By Nick

Seem to be having some issues around publishing an account of todays walk. This is a quick test post to see if it's anything to do with the length of what I've written. (As if.)

Three days to go.....

By Juli

This time in a fortnight we will have done it - one hundred and thirty miles, and hopefully we will be scoffing lots of chocolate and drinking champagne, with our feet up.

There are three days to go and then we will be off.  We are taking the car to Mum's on Thursday and then taking the train to Oxford the next morning, early.  By Friday night we will be in our first B&B.

I have added the itinerary with where we will be and with the names of the people who have said they would like to join us at various places.  Come along too, if you have a chance. We'd love to see you.

And finally - we are 92% of the way to the target.  That's FANTASTIC folks.  You are all so kind and generous.  Big pats on the back and hugs from both of us.

Day	From – To:	Staying at:	Notes: Joining us...
Friday 11th April	Oxford to Culham 12 Miles	Zouch Farm B&B Culham 01235 521777 www.zouchfarm.co.uk Selina_wallis@hotmail.co.uk
Saturday 12th April	Culham to Wallingford About 13 miles	The Old Schoolhouse 23 Castle Street, Wallingford OX10 8DW Bill and Carolyn Booth 01491 839571 www.23oldschoolhouse.com Carolyn@23oldschoolhouse.com
Sunday 13th April	Wallingford to Tilehurst About 13 miles	Firtrees 2, Cotswold Way, Tilehurst RG31 6SH Joan Reed 01189413286 joanreed@mail.com	Sharon, Neil and the dog joining us.
Monday 14th April	Tilehurst to Shiplake 10miles	The Baskerville 7 Station Road Lower Shiplake Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, RG9 3NY 01189403332 www.thebaskerville.com enquiries@thebaskerville.com	Georg and Barbara are coming from Germany to walk with us for  a couple of days.
Tuesday 15th April	Shiplake to Marlow 11 miles	8 Firview Close Marlow SL7 1SZ Mrs P King 01628 485735	Full Moon   Georg and Barbara (drinking champagne???)
Wednesday 16th April	Marlow to Windsor 14 ½ miles	At Mum’s 99 pavilion Gardens, Staines, Middx 01784 456416
Thursday 17th April	Windsor to Shepperton 13 ¼ miles	At Mum’s	Mum joining for a section around Laleham.
Friday 18th April   Good Friday	Shepperton to Richmond 15 miles	At Mum’s	Nick's niece, Izzy, joining for a bit
Saturday 19th April   Easter Saturday	Richmond to Waterloo 16 ½  miles	At Mum’s	Nick's niece, Rachel, joining us with son, Sam.
Sunday  20th April   Easter Sunday	Waterloo to the Thames Barrier 12 miles	At Mum’s	Marion and John joining for the whole of this section and taking the boat back with us. Richard and Gill and Sophie meeting us at the end?
Monday 21st April   Easter Monday	A long lie in   Easter Lunch at Mum’s   Drive to Northamptonshire in the evening
Tuesday 22nd April	Recovering in Cottesbrooke!